How to Reset All User Permissions to Default in Windows 11/10

Encountering problems with apps or programs not functioning correctly on your Windows computer? To reset all user permissions to default offers the solution you need.

Similarly, when tackling user profile issues, you can reset user permissions in Windows. In this article, we will explore three distinct methods for resetting all user permissions: using the Icacls command, the Secedit command, and the Subinacl tool.

Way 1. Employ the Icacls Command to Reset All User Permission in Windows

The Icacls command empowers you to inspect, adjust, and reset file system permissions on files and folders. To reset Windows Update permissions with this command, begin by assuming ownership of the folders in Windows.

Step 1. Run Command Prompt as administrator in Windows.

Step 2. Copy and paste the following command to Command Prompt:

icacls * /t /q /c /reset

Step 3. Press Enter to execute the command. This action will reset all user permissions to their default state for every folder, subfolder, and file within the current working directory.

Here’s an explanation of the parameters used in the command:

• *: This wildcard character includes all folders within the current directory.
• /t: It targets all the subfolders and files within the current folder.
• /q: Runs the command without displaying success messages.
• /c: Continues the operation even in the presence of errors.
• /reset: This parameter restores permission options to their default values.

Way 2. Utilize the Secedit Command to Reset User Permissions in Windows

Windows offers the Secedit command to configure and analyze system security. To reset all user permissions to default with this command, you can use these steps:

Step 1. Launch the command prompt with administrator privileges.

Step 2. Copy and paste the following command:

secedit /configure /cfg %windir%\inf\defltbase.inf /db defltbase.sdb /verbose

Step 3. Press Enter to execute the command. Wait for the process to complete and restart your computer to reset user permissions to the default system settings.

Way 3. Leverage the Subinacl Tool to Reset User Permissions

If you prefer not to use the command prompt, you can utilize the Subinacl tool, a command-line utility from Microsoft for resetting user permissions. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1. Download the Subinacl tool from Microsoft’s webpage, and run the installer package.

Step 2. Accept the license agreement terms.

Step 3. Specify the destination folder as C:\Windows\System32 (or the appropriate path if Windows is installed on a different drive).

Step 4. Install the Subinacl tool.

Step 5. Open Notepad and input the provided commands to the Save As window. Name the file Reset.cmd and save it to the Desktop.

Step 6. Double-click on Reset.cmd to initiate the process, which may take some time to complete.

Step 7. Close any running programs and restart your computer to reset your Windows Update permissions to their default settings.

Introducing Data Recovery Software

If you are looking for the best free data recovery to help you recover lost and deleted files in Windows, you can try MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

You can use this software to recover deleted photos, videos, documents, and more from hard drives, SDDS, USB flash drives, etc.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

This data restore tool can work under different situations:

• Files and folders deletion.
• Drive formatting.
• Hard drive failure.
• Hard drive inaccessible.
• OS crash.

Conclusion

These are three distinct methods you can employ to reset user permission settings in Windows 11/10. We hope these are the methods you are looking for.